Network Management Strategies for the CIO
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I would say the first and most basic principle is research. I have seen many times where companies use outdated research to bring a product to market. Certainly, we have all seen "crazes" and watched as companies jumped on the newest, latest and greatest only to find the results very disappointing. In fact, Gartner research issued a report the first part of this year that stated 20% of all IT purchases are for things that do not work. The research should be based on today's numbers and trends. Second, I would say that you need a good BETA program. This should not be an internal only program, but rather you should put your products in the hands of those who will use them and let them provide you with proper feedback to make sure that your product works error free upon final release.
Timing is important in particular in light of where the standards are and where they will end up. Proprietary solutions are a harder sell than an open solution. It is important to keep abreast of the standards or be involved in creating them. This will assure an expanded life through interoperability. If you launch too early and you are not involved in the standards you are at risk of being replaced quite quickly by a standards based solution.
As for targeting the right IT people, this also goes back to research. There are few, if any, products that are right for everyone. Any successful product launch is based on satisfying a need. Determining who has the need for the problems you are solving will help determine the right IT people to target. Ultimately, you will want to be sure that decision makers are involved.
This was first published in October 2004
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